Wanna run a T-5 behind a Nailhead in a '37 pick-up.....I lost the latest R/C mag. with the T-5 article but i remember it saying that the S-10 had the shortest distance from the front of the ****** to the shifter which is what you want for a pickup with a bench seat...... Question........ Is this ****** a lot weaker than the later Mustang/ Camaro t-5's and if it is, will the S-10 tailshaft and related pieces bolt up to the later one's in order to have a stronger ****** with the shorter distance to the shifter?
The S-10 transmission should be on par with the ones that V6 Camaros and Firebirds came with, but not as strong as the WC transmissions that were used in T/As and Z28s.
The S10 ****** is weaker than a V8 Camaro/Mustang T5. The S10 tail housing can be added to a V8 Camaro/Mustang T5. I've seen several threads on it and there is a real good article on the conversion at the Inliners website, www.inliners.org I think. Here.... http://www.inliners.org/Jack/t5_page.html and here.... http://www.inliners.org/Jack/T5tech.html Try doing a search you should find tons of info.
Even a WC T-5 isn't going to stand up to a lot of abuse. So if you plan on beating on the thing, you might want to go a different route. Rebuild parts aren't cheap either, and for NWCs some of the gears and other parts are getting hard to find. I just rebuilt a NWC T5 with all new synchros, a bunch of new gears and Hurst shifter, and I think I have something like $1600 into it, plus the $150 purchase price.
392 hemi brings up a good point. If you absolutely want a 5 speed, you should consider a Tremec TKO. not exactly cheap, but you'll likely only buy one and never have to rebuild it becasue it couldn't handle the power. The weakest TKO is good for like 450-500 ft/lbs (if you can call that weak). Plus you can put the shifter in multiple locations. As a point of referance, the best T5 ever to leave Ford in a Mustang was rated for 300 ft/lbs. The Ford Racing Performance Parts Z-spec T5 is THE best T5 Ford has ever offered and it's good for 330 ft/lbs. http://www.ddperformance.com/ has all the above ******'s at resonable prices.
I have sold more T5 to flathead conversion kits than I can count. The 85-92 S10-S15 Borg Warner 5 speed has served us very well. You can break any trans if you try hard enough.
I've always been curious about something.....how many people here have actually broken a T5, IN A HOTROD???? Not me. We all know the guy that broke one in his Camaro while powershifting and listening to Great White. But seriously, the failure rate in hotrods, especially with bias ply tires, has got be be close to zero.
I've learned a little bit in the last couple of days. I'm still not sure which way to go with my project but I did find out that the tremec kit with every piece for a Nova install using a tko600 is about $4000.00 so I imagine the price only goes up as the install gets more unuique. that's why I was looking for junkyard tech. Sorry I couldn't be more specific to your project. good luck and let thase of us who are interested know how it turns out.
With T5's it all comes down to traction and torque input from the engine. If you're blowing the tires off, you'll most likely never break the T5. If you get traction and you have too much torque the aluminum case is not strong enough to resist the 2 main gears from wanting to push away from each other and spliting the case. This is what determines it's torque capacity rating. The next problem you can have with a T5 is the shiftforks. If you do not have a quality aftermarket shifter with shift stops, you will very likely bend the shift forks, which leads to horrid shift quality, missed shifts and ultimately a rebuild. If you want to use a T5 for a hot car with the ability to hook, the T5 may not be the best option. Visit a Mustang forum and search for T5 posts. Many people do not like the ****** and have had bad experiences. BUT, I have almost 50,000 miles on a T5 in a Mustang GT that hooks decent and have no problems, except second gear is starting to develop an "I don't like to stay in second on a downshift sometimes" issue. Most T5 problems are the result of straight up abuse and poor care. They are a very good transmission. Over time they do show there weaknesses though.
Aftermarket shifters? Do they interchange between, S-10, Camaro, Mustang etc.? Or do I have to find a hot rod shifter strictly for an S-10? I don't care about anything above the boot. Is it the same under the boot?
As far as I know, they do not interchange. Never fear Hurst has a good shifter for the S-10 though. Should bolt right on. Summit has them. Billet Plus is the name I think. EDIT: pn: HUU-3910029 Hurst Compe***ion/Plus, Bolt on stick too. Install guide http://static.summitracing.com/global/images/instructions/huu-3910029(2)1.pdf
Transmission strength aside (although I think it is an issue worth considering), you really want the ge****t from a V8 car to go with your nailhead. The S-10 transmissions have a first gear around 3.5 or lower; couple this with a rear gear suitable for use with the OD, and you have a very low overall ratio. The V8 ge****ts are a little higher, giving a closer ratio spacing better for a hot rod. The stock Mustangs mostly had a 3.35 first, but the some (I think mostly factory refit parts and aftermarket) have a 2.97 ge****t. By the way, these are the units (with the taller first gears) that are rated for more torque capacity. The Mustang guys do break these transmissions regularly, but usually while trying to launch with slicks or speedshift behind a pretty furry motor. As noted above, I think it likely that you could get a lot of miles out of one of these in a hot rod.
Unfortunately, the search engine doesn't work with 3-letter searches very well...I have posted reams of stuff on here. There are only two S10 T5 ge****ts: The less desireable has a 4.03 1st, the more desireable has a 3.76 1st. There are literally 10s of ge****ts for the T5 - just have to find ones you like. You can indeed bolt the S10 tailshaft AND topcover to a Camaro V8 or Mustang T5 (or any other T5 for that matter) - just remember if you're switching between WC & NWC to use the plastic funnel on the end of the countershaft to match the tailhousing. You must have a good shifter with positive stops that are adjusted properly or you will break your T5 eventually (usually 2nd & 3rd). I've run a NWC T5 behind a stroker 351 & managed to make it live for several years - the folks that break T5s are abusing them & don't have good shifters. If you want to abuse it - get a TKO or Doug Nash. Here's several posts with good T5 info. The T5 has been around for so long in so many variations there is more mis-information than good information. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108634 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65870&&showall=1 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20583&&showall=1 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89495 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46109&&showall=1 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53148 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39127
Thanks. That is what I suspected but I hate plunking down my money in a flea market on a hunch. I'm too cheap to buy a new one. I was planning on using an early Ford swan neck shifter but I'm starting to get nostalgic over the flat Chromed Hurst stick. The Hurst stick was something to be proud of in the 60's.
I believe even the Mustang shifter will work - you will have to redrill the forward holes, but I haven't tried this to be sure...
I am going thru the "front shift conversion" issue with my T5 right now. I am using a 91 Ford Mustang WC T5 with a S-10 tailshaft. I have made up shims to relocate the speedo gear on the out put shaft and just have to figure out if they should be welded or epoxied in place. The other problem I have found with the T5 is that the shifter sits a couple of degrees off top dead center towards the driver. I beefed up the bellhousing, redrilled and tapped the trans mounting holes to have it sit up straight. I am using a Hurst S-10 shifter with the adjustable stops and a flat chrome Hurst stick which curves forward and then back to clear the bench seat. It`s sitting in pieces on my bench as I am rebuilding it even though it looks fairly good inside, rather be safe then sorry when it leaves the driveway. HB32
Your doing exactly what i feel i have to do....Are you saying the whole ****** is tilted off center?.....If so is it too close to your leg?
The S-10 shifter mechanism has the pivot a little bit highter in the housing than the camaro ****er. They will interchange and the S-10 will give you a shorter throw between gears. Some I have found have a screw on shifter handle. Easy to make an adapter for a hurst lever. The mustang will work also by redrilling the front 2 mounting holes. I also had to use about a .060 thick shim to get the clearence at the actuator ball. jerry
Yes the ****** is positioned off center. Not necessarily to close to my leg, just doesn`t look astetically pleasing... hows that for big words . PM me with yor email and I can send you some pictures if you want a closer look. HB32
Uhh...why didn't you just bend your shifter at the base so it stuck straight up? If it's more than just a little, are you using an GM F-body bellhousing or something? Or maybe a F-body shifter with the built-in bend? I just cant visualize a standard set-up canted off enough to even see...
I am using a Ford Mustang T5 with a S-10 tailshaft. I could have went the route of bending the shifter, but moving the holes for mounting the ****** to the bell housing just seemed logical.
Thanks for the pics - very nice work - you should post them here. Still seems a lot of extra work when you could have bent the shifter.
I have a T-5 behind my blower engine, cracked 3 blocks and still haven't put the first part in the trans, so yes they will hold up. Also I rebuild these all the time and not to be mean but you got took, a rebuild kit is 159 with blockers, index keys, bearings etc..., The most expensive gear is 100.00 new, shifter is less than 175. Unless you bought all new gears and a counter gear, and even then you can buy a new WC T-5 at jegs for less than you had in it...
Okay Just to let ya know I'm a little ignorant. I've got a Chevy 292 with a duel Clifford intake running 2 2b Holley s a mild cam and straight headers. Will a Ford t5 out of a V8 Mustange work if I use the correct BellHousing? Oh and I'm running a 66 Chevy posi rear.
Happy it's working out for you. But I've seen T5s trashed with a lot less. As for my rebuild, ended up with pretty much all new internals. If I had it to do over again, I would have just bought a new trans. Some of the NWC parts are getting hard to find, and not cheap.
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